Liquid tapping and blowing loss eliminator



Patented Mar. 16, 1943 LIQUID TAPPING AND BLOWING LGS ELIMINATOR Ralph R. Gunderson, Detroit, Mich. Application July 21, 1941, Serial No. 403,436

9 Claims.

The invention relates to liquid tapping and blowing loss eliminators and is applicable to apparatus employed in tapping liquid from closed containers.

The invention has for one object to provide a construction for avoiding the loss of liquid to which the purchaser is entitled during the withdrawal of the liquid.

The invention has for another object to provide means for preventing the entrance of the gas under pressure employed to force the liquid from the closed container into the tap rod and also for preventing the discharge by gravity of the liquid from the tap rod when the latter is removed from the liquid container.

These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a liquid tapping and blowing loss eliminator embodying my invention, as applied to a closed container;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the eliminator removed from the container;

Figures 3 and 4 are views similar to Figure 1 showing other embodiments of the invention;

Figure 5 is an elevation of the lower portion of Figure 4.

While the liquid tapping and blowing loss eliminator is applicable to apparatus employed in tapping various liquids from closed containers, it is particularly applicable to apparatus employed in tapping beer from kegs.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, I is the hollow tap rod of standard apparatus inserted through the bung hole of the keg 2 and occupying a sub stantially vertical position, the cooling coil and other parts of the'apparatus being at the upper end of the tap rod. The beer tapping and blowing loss eliminator forms a unit attachable to the lower end of the tap rod and comprises the body member 3 threaded at its upper end into the lower end of the tap rod and having the longitudinal bore or passageway 4 therethrough and also the adjacent longitudinal bore 5, which latter extends substantially from the middle of the body member to its lower end and has its lower end closed by the plug 6. The wall between the bores 4 and 5 is provided at its lower end with the transverse port 1 and the wall 8 at the radially outer side of the bore 5 is provided with the ports 8 and 9 which connect into the bore respectively at its lower and upper ends. I is a ball float valve within the bore and adapted to close the port I when the keg for all practical purposes has been emptied; l l is a double valve member comprising the stem [2 and the valves l3 and I4 at the upper and lower ends, respectively, of the stem and adapted to engage annular seats on the body member 3 encircling the longitudinal bore 4, respectively, at the upper and lower ends of the longitudinal bore. I5 is a coil spring between the bracket l6 secured to the upper end of the body member 3 and the upper valve i3, the strength of the coil spring being such that it forces thedouble valve member downwardly to seat the upper valve l3 and close the passageway formed bythe longitudinal bore 4 against the pressure of the gaswithin the container. p

In operation, the upper valve 13 of the beer tapping and blowing loss eliminator is yieldably held in closed position when the eliminator is not in operative position in the closed container or keg. Thus, if the tapping apparatus has been previously used, the tap rod is full of beer. When the tap rod is being inserted into the keg, the lower valve 14 is forced against the bung of the keg and temporarily closed while the bung is being forced into the keg. However, after the bung has been removed from the bung hole, the valve 14 moves to open position and the upper valve l3 immediately closes. During the continued downward movement of the tap rod, the ball float valve ill upon coming into contact with the beer rises because of its buoyancy to uncover the port I, the lower valve l4 being in open position permitting the entrance of beer into the lower end of the bore 3 to equalize the pressure on opposite sides of the ball float valve so that it will not stick in the port. Upon further downward movement of the tap rod, the lower valve 14 finally comes into contact with the bottom of the keg and is forcibly moved to closed position, at which time the upper valve I3 is forcibly moved to open position against the effort exerted by the spring l5. Beer may now be withdrawn from the keg throughthe port 8 and also possibly the port 9, the bore 5, the port I, the bore 4 and tap rod I, and then the cooling coil upon opening the tap, a suitable gas under pressure having been forced into the upper end of the keg to force the beer therefrom. During the final stage of emptying the keg for all practical purposes, the ball float valve Ill lowers as the level of the beer in the keg lowers until the ball float valve closes the portl. At this time the-gas under pressure employed to force the'beer from the keg into the tap rod is prevented from entering the bore 4 and the tap rod so that upon opening of the faucet no beer is forced from the tap rod and longitudinal port in the body member. During the initial raising of the tap rod the upper valve I3 is moved downwardly to closed position, both by reason of gravity and the spring I5 so that as a result the beer is retained in the tap rod and its loss is avoided.

The eliminator illustrated in Figure 3 differs essentially from that illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 in the use of the annular or ring-shaped float valve I! encircling and guided by the reduced portion l8 of the body member and adapted to close the radial ports l9 extending through the reduced portion at the lower end of the body member. The operation of the eliminator shown in this figure is the same as that previously described.

The modification illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 differs from the modification illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 essentially in forming the lower valve 25! for closing the lower end of the longitudinal bore 2| in the body member cup-shaped. The bottom of the lower valve is fixedly secured to the upper valve and is preferably provided with the sealing gasket 22 for engaging the bottom of the body member to thereby seal the lower end of the longitudinal bore; The side wall of the lower valve'loosely slidably engages the body member to allow beer to pass between the lower end of the body member and the lower valve into the longitudinal port to equalize the pressures upon the ball valve while the tap rod and eliminator are being inserted into the keg. Furthermorathe: side wall of the lower valve is preferably formed with the recesses or scallops 23 in itsupper edge sothat the side wall at no time can close the outside port 24 of the eliminator. Inasmuch asv the lower valve 20 prevents the ball fioat valve fromaccidental disengagement from the bore in the body member, the plug for closing thebore, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, is preferably eliminated. Theoperation of the eliminator shown in Figures 4 and" 5 is the same as that ofFigures 1 and 2.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A liquid tapping and blowing loss eliminator comprising a member insertable into a liquid container and having a longitudinally extending passageway and a transverse port opening into the passageway, a valve for closing the passageway, means for holding said valve in open position when said member is in place in the liquid container, and a secondvalve dependent upon the level of the liquid in the container for closing the port.

2. A liquid tapping and blowing losseliminator for attachment toa tap rod" insertable into a liquid container comprising a member attachable to the lower end of the tap rod and having a longitudinally extending passageway therethrough opening into the tap rod and a transverse port opening into the passageway, a valve for closing the passageway at its upper end, a second valve engageable with the container for closing the passageway at its lower end and for moving said first mentioned valve to open position, and a third. valve dependent upon the level of the liquid in the. container for closing the port.

3. A beer tapping and blowing loss eliminator for: attachment to a tap rod adapted to be inserted intoa beer keg. through its bung hole comprising a member attachable to the lower end ofthe tap rod: and having a longitudinally extending passageway therethrough opening into the tap rod, a seat encircling the upper end of the passageway and a transverse port opening into the passageway at its lower end, a valve yieldably urged downwardly toward said seat under a pressure greater than that in the keg, a second valve movable to close the passageway at its lower end and to open said first mentioned valve upon engagement of said second valve with a stop within the keg, and a third fioat valve dependent upon the level of the liquid in the keg for closing the port.

4. A liquid tapping and blowing loss eliminator comprising a substantially vertical member insertable into a liquid container and having a substantially vertically extending passageway, an adjacent substantially vertically extending recess, a transverse port opening into the passageway and recess at their lower ends and. a transverse port in the outer wall of the recess, a valve yieldablyurged downwardly to close the passageway above the port, and means for closing the passageway below said valve comprising a ball valve movable in the recess and dependent uponthe level of the liquid in the container for closing the first mentioned port.

5. A liquid tapping and blowing loss eliminator comprising a substantially vertical member insertable into a liquid container and having a substantially vertically extending passageway and a transverse port opening into the passageway at its lower end, a valve yieldably urged downwardly to close the passageway above the port, means for holding said valve in open position when said member is inplace in the liquid container, and means for closing the passageway below said valve comprising a vertically movable annular valve dependent upon the level of the liquid in the container for closing the port.

6. A liquid tapping and blowing loss eliminator comprising a substantially vertical member insertable into a liquid container and having a longitudinally extending passageway therethrough opening into the tap rod and a transverse port openinginto the passageway, a valve for closing the passageway at its upper end, a valve guided by the member for closing the passageway at its lower end, and a third valve dependent upon the level of the liquid in the container for closing the port.

'7'. A liquid tapping loss eliminator comprising a member insertable into a liquid container and having a longitudinally extending passageway communicating with the interior of the container, a valve for closing the passageway, means for yieldably urging said valve to closed position under a pressure greater than that in the container, and a second valve for simultaneously closing the passageway and moving said first mentioned valve to open position.

8. A- liquid tapping and blowing loss eliminator comprising a member insertable into a liquid container and having a substantially vertically extending passageway adapted to be closed at its lower end when said member is in place in the container, said member also having a transverse port opening into the passageway near its lower end, a valve yieldably urged downwardly to close the upper end of the passageway when said member is above its final position, means for holding said valve in open. position when said member is in place, and means for closing the transverse port.

9. A liquid tapping and blowing loss'eliminator comprising a substantially vertical member in 5 verse port.

container, and means for closing the passageway below said valve comprising a vertically movable ball valve dependent upon the level of the liquid in the container for closing the trans- RALPH R. GUNDERSON. 

